FantaSea Jewelry is the newest addition to St. Croix’s jewelry landscape, combining precious metals and gemstones to highlight the beauty of island life. Owner Nicole Gariepy’s long-time love for jewelry making led her to acquire FantaSea Jewelry in 2016 after running a jewelry business over a seven-year period. She found herself becoming lost in the business side of things. “I was no longer creating jewelry and that was the complete opposite of why I got into the business” she said. FantaSea Jewelry has allowed her to tap back into what inspired her love of jewelry making in the first place.
All of the pieces are made using genuine stones, precious metals and minerals with each collection telling a story that depicts island life. “With my jewelry, I want to capture the magic and the beauty of living on an island.” While St. Croix’s physical beauty is an inspiration to her pieces, Gariepy credits the energy, kindness and authenticity of the people as the driving force behind her collections. After much online success selling her jewelry, a brick-and-mortar location was the natural next step in the evolution of FantaSea Jewelry. When the pandemic hit, Gariepy returned to online sales to stay afloat. However, she knew that having a retail location was great for her business and was committed to maintaining a space on island.
When the opportunity to move into a larger space came along, she jumped at the opportunity because of its strong connection to St. Croix’s art community. Longtime friend Tina Henle of the Henle Art Gallery shared that the Company Street space would be available soon as the gallery was closing after 27 years. That’s when Gariepy’s idea to collaborate with Henle was born. “The Henle art has always been inspired by St. Croix life and life in the Caribbean as a whole and their art ties in with the premise of FantaSea Jewelry,” she said. Now with the new gallery style space, customers can purchase locally made jewelry AND art in one location, which helps support the art community as a whole. “This has been such a meaningful endeavor and with everything happening today, we need people who are bringing beauty into the world now more than ever.”
FantaSea Jewelry is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visit their website at www.fantaseajewelry.com for more information.
Written by Anquanette Gaspard (agaspard@cruzanfoodie.com) for Coldwell Banker, St. Croix Realty
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